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these? The overall effects of this are increases in famine, malnutrition
and disease.
With all of these pressing issues in mind, why has nearly nothing
been done? The answer is simply that for many governments, it’s a
difficult problem to face. A famous example of a government taking
action against overpopulation is China’s One-Child Policy, which
has been claimed to have prevented around 400 million births
between 1979 and 2011. Whilst drastic action such as this is very
effective, the policy has also been faced with apprehension. To be
able to have a family and as many children as we desire is one of our
freedoms.
And of course, to imply that any kind of freedom might be taken
away is going to be protested. However, governments need to realise
that first of all, some form of action is better than none at all. The
population isn’t simply going to stop growing if we will it to or if we
ignore the problem. Secondly, actions do not have to be as dramatic
as the One-Child Policy. Another solution could be to improve the
standards of education in developing countries. Education and the
improvement of financial situations have a visible impact on
population growth rates, so that birth rates in a few developed
countries have even begun to decline.
We have the capacity to come up with solutions and put an end to
overpopulation. The author Dan Brown once wrote ‘Denial is a
critical part of the human coping mechanism. Without it, we would
all wake up terrified every morning about all the ways we could die.’
But it’s about time we woke up. And it’s about time that those in
power realise humanity’s growing pains, before we’re all forced to
face the consequences.
‘
The Dangers
of Over-
population
11